Those eyes
by Cinna and his Clothes
Summary: This is the pov of the district 8 girl, starting at the launch. Please read and review!


The plastic tube encloses me. I catch a last glimpse of Cleo, with her stupid wig and lipstick, waving to me as though I was going on a holiday. I hate her. I hate anyone from the Capitol. But I hate her especially because of my chariot ride costume. Clowns! That's what she made us look like. Big, baggy pink and blue clowns. It was supposed to relate to district eight's 'element', textiles, but I have never seen anything even _remotely _like that back home. Just thinking of home makes me get choked up. I love my family more than anything. Especially little Isabelle, my seven-year-old sister. When she came to say goodbye, all she said was 'I love you Flaxy.' I'm not sure if she really understood what was going on. I just have to hope that the eight I scored in training will make the Capitol overlook my chariot costume.

The tube rises and then I enter the arena. Sunlight blinds my eyes but eventually I get used to it and examine my surroundings. A large blue lake. A thin forest abundant with pine. I don't bother turning to look behind me, because the woods are where I'm going, no doubt about it. I look at the tributes close to me. To my right is a girl who I think is from district nine, with sleek red hair, looking remarkably like the girl from district five, who I've nicknamed 'Foxy'. To her left is the monstrous boy, Cato I think his name is. The district nine girl looks at him affrightedly. He catches her eye and quickly draws his fingers across his throat, clearly telling her that soon she will be dead. I look away to stop him catching my eye too. On my left is that tiny boy from district 4, I think his name's Kai. I'm pretty sure he is twelve. Though he is only one year younger than me, he is about ten times smaller. But I suppose that is just because I am a huge girl for thirteen.

Next to him, is another boy, whom I have no idea anything about. He has a clenched jaw and black hair that ripples over his forehead. I suddenly recognise him. He is the one that stole the boy from two's, Cato's, knife. Well, according to Cato. I was practising my knife throwing, when I heard Cato threatening someone to get them first in the arena. I went over to see what was wrong, and found out that Cato had lost his knife and was blaming this boy. Before I could see more, the peacekeepers broke them up. My eyes search through the circle of tributes to find Lea. I lock my eyes on him. He looks almost joyful, his eyes locked on the cornucopia, his body raring to go. I have no cares for this boy, none at all. He is just like the careers. Strong, and with no mercy.

I suddenly realise that the countdown has reached the thirties. I quickly look at the supplies that guard the cornucopia. There are various very valuable objects touching the edge of the cornucopia. Two large, well-camouflaged backpacks. A huge mesh bag filled with food. A pile of large deadly swords. The list goes on and on. I am definitely not going in for them. I think back to breakfast this morning, and what Cecelia said.

'Get something small from the cornucopia, because if you go in for something big, it is highly likely that you will get killed.'

I look around me. Close to me is a single serrated knife. A bit further away is a bag of apples. I finally set my sites on a small, dark blue backpack, quite close to Kai, the district 4 boy's plate. He has his eye on the mouth of the cornucopia anyway, so I don't think I will have much competition. The countdown is going quickly.

14…

13…

12…

11… The reality of the moment starts to kick in.

10… I am going to die.

9… I could be dead in a minute.

8… Oh god, please help me.

7… I cannot win this.

6… I get into running position.

5…

4…

3… This is it.

2…

1… The gong sounds and I'm off and running. As I suspected and hoped, Kai from district 4 speeds off toward the cornucopia. I run in and grapple up the backpack I had been looking for, then dash towards the woods. I enter the woods and quickly duck behind a thick pine tree, even though all the careers have surely not left the cornucopia yet. I peek out from behind the tree and watch the action unfold. I see Kai emerge from beneath piles of tents, bags and more supplies at the mouth of the cornucopia, and attempt to dash towards the woods. But just as he is about to pass the metal plates, Cato from district two is there, holding a small sword. Because Kai is from district 4, I expect him to ally with Cato, but before I know what is happening Kai's body is crumpled on the ground and there is blood splattered on the crates near him. I can't watch anymore. I am about to turn and run, when to my surprise and horror, I see the large male with the crippled foot limping towards exactly where I am. _Has he seen me? _I wonder, horror struck. I realise that I am much faster than this boy since he can only limp. I take off running into the woods, not stopping to breathe. I realise that I could easily bump into someone and they could kill me, but I encounter nobody.

After running for what feels like years, but must only be hours I finally stop. That's one of my strengths; I can run at top speed for a long time. I sit down on a pile of foliage and examine the contents of my pack. I find a mustard yellow blanket that covers my whole body, but is quite thin. I also find a box of matches and some newspaper. The last thing I find is a small water-bottle. Well, it's better than nothing anyway.

I begin running again, until I come across a small pond. I don't have any water purifier but I don't care, I'm so thirsty that I could drink _mud _if that was all there was. I fill my water bottle and drink the whole thing. I have to fill it three more times before I can move on. After walking for about fifteen minutes, I begin to hear the cannons. I count them until they reach eleven. I wonder about Lea, and find myself hoping he's dead already. I doubt it though; he received a score of ten for his training score, and in training I saw him wrestle down one of the trainers. I find myself thinking of my family. I can't win this, I know that, but perhaps Lea can, and that'd mean that district eight would be showered in gifts and food, which is everything my family needs right now, since mum died. The thought fills me with sadness, and I begin to run.

After an hour of running, I decide to set up camp. I find a small clearing and begin to brush all of the sticks and rocks out of the way. My stomach is growling, and I don't have any food. I decide that I will find some in the morning. I settle down on a log, and wrap myself in the blanket. Cold surrounds me and I huddle down. Suddenly, I hear some rustling a couple of hundred metres to my right. I spin around, but hear nothing more so I huddle down in my blanket once again.

After ten minutes I hear the anthem and know that it's time to see who died. The Capitol seal appears in the sky and then the sky goes dark. I think of Kai and know that he must me dead. I can't help feeling a pang of sadness. He was so young… The faces begin to appear in the sky. The first is the girl from three. So both of the tributes from one and two are alive and no doubt in an alliance, combing the woods for victims. Next is Kai. I knew I would see his face, but I can't help feeling a fresh wave of sadness. Next is the boy from five, indicating that foxy made it. The boy and the girl from six… so that's where the boy that stole Cato's knife came from. Then both from seven. The next face draws a gasp out of me, because it's Lea. I rub my eyes to check that it's true, and when I pull my hands away I know it is. _But he got a ten in training! He can't be dead! _I want to scream. The longing for him to be dead has evaporated like mist. If he had of won, my family would have had food to keep them going. But now, unless I manage to pull off a miracle and win, food will never reach their mouths.

I am so surprised that I have to clutch my district token, a bracelet made by Isabelle, to steady myself. I don't need to look at it to know what it looks like, since I've looked at it so much during the past week. Cleo was horrified when I told her it was my district token. She thought it was hideous. Isabelle is still young, and has no sense of pattern. The bracelet is a mix of big, chunky wooden beads and tiny bits of metal wrapped up in scraps of fabric. It's not the prettiest, but it's the most precious thing I've ever owned. I look up just in time to see the girl from district nine, the one that was next to me at the countdown, disappear into the sky. Next is the boy from district nine as well. The last face in the sky is the girl from ten. Then the seal of the Capitol is back and there is a final burst of the anthem, and then I am all alone, in a cold, dark arena with nothing to protect me from the shadows of other killers.

As the night draws on, I try to take my mind off the freezing air that threatens to kill me, by trying to figure out who's left. But every time I reach district eight, I find myself thinking of Lea and then my family, and I am forced to start again. More than once I clutch the bracelet and wish it would take me home, and more than once I open my eyes to find that I am still in this hell. Cold surrounds me, and after hours, I can stand it no longer. If I continue to sit here, I know I will die. So the only thing to do is warm myself. And how do I do that? Start a fire. My brain has gone slightly hazy and it takes me a while to remember the matches and newspaper. I begin to snap branches off the trees that imprison me, trying to be as quiet as I can. At one point, I hear rustling in the same place I heard it before, but tell myself it's just an animal, and keep going. After about fifteen minutes I have a nice collection of sticks. Back home, I have never had much need to light a fire, but by watching a lifetime of the Hunger Games, I have an idea of what to do. It takes me about five minutes to rearrange the sticks, but I eventually have what I think is a nice fire in front of me. It takes several tries, but eventually my fumbling fingers manage to light a match. I throw it into the fire and watch as the paper ignites. The flames are the nicest things I have seen in my life. I push my body closer to the fire, and warm my hands over the flames. An hour passes and reality begins to mingle with sleep, until I am concealed in a world of dreams.

I awaken to the sound of running. I lie there, my heart thumping in my ears, _praying _that I remain unnoticed. But no such luck.

'Please, please don't kill me!' I plead, but I know that this will just make them more eager to give the audience a show. The group cackles. I notice that the boy from district 12, Peeta, stands back. I remember him on the night of the interviews, when he declared his love for the 'girl on fire', Katniss Everdeen. He does not laugh, but just gives me a pitying look.

'Don't kill you? What do you think we are, rabbits?' A girl with dark hair laughs. Cato steps forward, and pins me to the ground by my hair. I feel my bracelet come off my wrist, and straggle around to get it.

'Now, what shall we do with you?' He pulls out his sword, and I can see his eyes staring at my neck. He slowly presses the tip of his sword onto my throat, and slowly, painfully, draws the sword over my throat. I scream, a scream filled with burning agony, and then blood bursts up through my throat and onto the forest floor.

'Twelve down, eleven to go!' I hear someone call. The others hoot and cheer. _Why aren't I dead yet? _I wonder. I wish I was. The most pain I've ever experienced is when I got a sewing needle jabbed deep into my flesh. This is worse. So, so much worse. I hear them unzipping my backpack, which now has nothing but my tiny water bottle in it. They comment on how poor I am compared to them and then Cato orders the group to move on, before my body starts "stinking". So they think I'm dead. They think that soon a hovercraft will come and take me back home. Home… The thought of home comforts me. I am too weak to even reach for my bracelet. A waterfall of blood gushes down my chest, staining my jacket. Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching. They must have figured out that I'm not dead. I brace myself for nasty comments, and more agony. But when I see who it is, it's Peeta from district twelve.

'I'm so sorry.' He whispers to me. I can't even nod. I close my eyes and hear some scuffling around on the forest floor. A moment later I feel something being pressed into my palm, and fingers closing my hand around it. The bracelet. I think of Isabelle. Her light hair, brown eyes and laughter that sounds so much like wind-chimes in the breeze.

'Thank you.' I manage to choke.

'Anything you want to say?' He asks in a pained voice. I nod.

'I love you Isa-' But my voice suddenly stops and I can say no more, no matter how hard I try. Peeta reaches for his belt and pulls out a knife. He leans down and kisses my forehead, and for a moment I see a flicker of admiration in his blue eyes. He holds my free hand and looks away as he plunges the knife into my chest.

The last memory I have is of those eyes…


End file.
